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Take My Eyes
Metascore
74 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Bill White
    100
    Actors Laia Marull and Luis Tosar explore the intricate details of a relationship based on the laws of attraction and repulsion, in which the intellect is repeatedly devastated by primal passion.
  2. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    90
    A harrowing drama spun from the most mundane material.
  3. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    What makes the movie fascinating is that it doesn't settle for a soap opera resolution to this story, with Pilar as the victim, Antonio as the villain, and evil vanquished. It digs deeper and more painfully.
  4. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    88
    An extraordinarily truthful and piercing drama.
  5. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    88
    Harrowing, psychologically astute drama.
  6. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Frank Scheck
    80
    This tale of domestic abuse breaks little new stylistic or psychological ground, but it is a searing, well-acted drama that should strike universal chords.
  7. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    75
    The story isn't exactly new, but Bollain, an actress in her own right, keeps Take My Eyes from sinking into clichés.
  8. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Ruthe Stein
    75
    While hardly glorifying abusive husbands, Take My Eyes, a mesmerizing and deeply disturbing film from Spain, makes an attempt to understand their thought processes.
  9. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Nathan Rabin
    75
    Take My Eyes might look and sound like an earnest message movie, but its bone-deep understanding of the tricky psychology of abuse feels effortlessly authentic.
  10. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Jorge Morales
    70
    A disturbing take on domestic violence.
  11. Variety
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Holland
    70
    Handles the subject of domestic violence with intelligence and compassion.
  12. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    60
    Marull's Pilar is quietly powerful and agonizingly terrorized as the '50s-style wife muted and bound by duty.
  13. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    60
    The director, Iciar Bollain, who wrote the screenplay with Alicia Luna, invests Antonio with humanity, which would be more impressive if she had paid more attention to exploring the darker recesses of Pilar's inner life.
  14. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    50
    If Take My Eyes explored how a woman could still feel for a man who abused her, it might have gripped us with its difficult truths. But the movie presents Pilar and Antonio's marriage as a stale, neurotic dead end.
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User Reviews

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User Score
6.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. ChadS.
    8
    Antonio(Luis Tosar) sees it. We see it. When Pilar(Laia Marull) conducts a seminar on art, she widens the gap between herself and Antonio with each thoughtful observation about the artist's rendering of Orpheus and his nymph. Pilar is radiant. The audience is spellbound. She doesn't need to settle for an abusive husband anymore. "Take my Eyes" does an admirable job of not portraying Antonio as an irredeemable monster, while at the same time, not suggesting that he is good enough for Pilar. Any man who seeks therapy for their violent impulses deserves a second chance, but not with the same woman. Interestingly, it's not Antonio we hate(since the man admits he has a problem), it's the mother, who refuses to recognize that her daughter is a battered spouse. This betrayal of sorts gives "Take My Eyes" some balance, and prevents the film from being hysterically anti-male.… Full Review »
  2. KenG.
    6
    An earnest, but not entirely sucessful attempt to deal with a powerful subject. It doesn't really explore why wife is making the decisions she's making, and the way film handles story, it starts to feel a little repetitive.… Full Review »
  3. JohnM.
    0
    Predictable spanish drama about wife-battering with a lot of clichés: woman without education married with a closed mind man. Her mother don't see anything and her sister tries to protect her. The end is awful and unlikely.… Full Review »
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